Adjustable price indicator



Nov. 19, 1935.

GAOS GA3 PRICES a s I C. GREATTINGER ET AL ADJUSTABLE PRICE INDICATORFiled Feb. 28, 1934 y TTOR/VEY Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE Charles Greattinger and Richard T. Cox, Glasnevin,Saskatchewan, Canada Application February 28, 1934, Serial'No. 713,368

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in an adjustable price indicatorand appertains particularly to an apparatus that will show at a glancethe cost of one or any number ofunits of a. commodity at a given price.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a price indicator ofthis kind for gas stations and the like where the cost. of one, or teno-r any intermediate number of gallons of gasoline is displayed for useof both the station operator and customer, saving time and eliminatinguncertainty.

A further object of the invention is to provide an indicator of thecharacter described wherein the cost of any desired number of units isdisplayed clearly opposite the number and so constructed that the costgures can be adjusted to a fraction of `a cent.

.A further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable priceindicator displaying a column of progressive gures that are individuallyadjustable but normally inaccessible to eliminate tampering byunauthorized persons.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of anadjustable price indicator of the nature and for the purposes describedthat is characterized by structural simplicity, durability, convenienceand low cost of production being thereby rendered commerciallydesirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall becomeapparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall behereinafter more fully described, ile lustrated in the accompanyingdrawing and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly describedwhen reference is had to the drawing forming a part of this disclosurewherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the indicator, with a portion oi theface panel broken away;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section as taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l;and

Figures 3 and 4 are detail vertical sections as taken on the lines 3-3and 4-4 respectively of Figure 1, looking in the direction indica-ted bythe arrows.

A vertically elongated casing 5 comprises a back 6 and a front or facepanel 1, a. Vertical wall 8 on the left side and a box door 9 on the:right that swings upwards on a. transverse hinge I0 on the top I I andlocks closed b-y the engagement of knob 32.

(C1. io-es) the hasp I2 on the catch I3 on the casing bottom I4.

A vertical wall I 5 with side flanges` bent to the right closes oii theinterior of the casing 5 from the door S, the flanges projectingoutwardly beyond the edge of the back 6 and front panel 1 to be coveredby the free edges of the door when the same is closed to serve assealing strips. Between this wall I5 and the left side wall 8 the casing5 is divided into ve vertical pockets IB, I1, I8, I9 and 20 by fourintermediate vertical partitions 2l, 22, 23 and 24.

Down the left side of the face panel 6 is a column of numbers 25 inprogression designating the desired number of units and opposite each isa horizontal row of four openings or Windows 26 one of which opens intoeach of the pockets I1, I8, I9 and 20; the column of numbers 25occurring on that part of the panel 1 in front of the pocket I6 thatremains unoccupied.

Within the casing are a number of adjustable price designatingassemblies corresponding in number with the gures in the column 25 andtheir horizontally aligned rows of openings 26. These assemblies are allidentical and comprise 2 four disks 21, 28, 29 and 30 horizontallyaligned on a common axis and located respectively in the pockets I1, I8,I9 and 20, the first three bearing on their circumference the numeralsfrom I to 9 and the fourth one fractions and appearing 3 through theopenings 26 when brought into registry therewith are intended todesignate from left to right, dollars, tens, units and fractions of acent'. The disk 21 is carried on a shaft 3| whose inner end is supportedby the partition 2| 3 and on whose outer end, enclosed by the box door9, is a knurled knob 32. The. disk 28 is carried by a sleeve 33 thatturns on the shaft 3l: The disk 29 on a sleeve 34 surrounding the sleeve33 and the disk 30 on a sleeve 35 around the 4 sleeve 34. These threeconcentric sleeves 33, 34 and 35 successively shorter and of greaterdiameter each extend into the box cover 9 and terminate at successiveleftwardly receding points in increasingly larger annular flanges 36, 31and 38 whereby the respective disks are individually rotatable as is thefirst disk 21 by the knurled Each of the four disks fastens to its shaftor sleeve by a radial set screw 39 and so that they may be individuallyheldin any desired 5 rotative setting each disk has on its inner face apocket 40 housing a spring urged ball 4I and each of the partitions isprovided with an annular row of seats 42 corresponding in number withthe indicia on the engaging disk. 55

To facilitate the setting of these assemblies of juxtaposed axiallyaligned disks so that the required price is displayed through thehorizontal row of openings in the face panel, the knurled knob on theend of the shaft and the flanged ends of the concentric sleeves may havecorresponding indicia with that carried on the disks and the exposedface of the wall I5 may be marked with a pointer.

Each disk in the assembly must be set individually and once set is heldsecurely against accidental displacement and each assembly of disksopposite each unit number in the vertical column on the face panel is tobe adjusted after which the Idoor is closed and secured until a changein the unit price occurs when all the disk assemblies must be correctedaccordingly. By this adjustable ready set device, both customer andoperator can tell the exact cost of the purchase by a glance at thechart.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, it will be manifest that an adjustable price indicator isprovided that will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such adevice but as many changes could be made in the above description andmany apparently widely different embodiments of our invention may beconstructed Within the scope of the appended claims without departingfrom the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matterscontained in the said accompanying specication and drawing shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a. limitative or restrictivesense.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is.:-

l. A price indicator comprising a casing, spaced vertical partitionsacross said casing, a vertically arranged plurality of horizontal rowsof axially alinged disks individually separated by said partitions, anindividual adjustment for each of said disks extending concentricallyfrom an end of the row and means to retain said disks in individualadjustment.

2. A price indicator comprising al casing, a plurality of verticalpartitions therein extending between the sides of said casing, ahorizontal row of axially alinged disks individually separated by saidpartitions, an axle for the iirst of said disks and successivelyconcentric hubs for the remainder of said disks, disk adjusting means atone end of the concentric shaft and hubs at a door normally enclosingsaid disk adjusting means.

3. A price indicator comprising a casing, a plurality of verticalpartitions therein, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks separatedby said partitions, an axle for the nrst of said disks and successivelyconcentric hubs for the remainder of said disks supported by saidpartitions, successively larger and longitudinally progressing ends onsaid shaft and hubs exterior of said casing and a door normallyenclosing the same.

4. A price indicator comprising a casing, a plurality of verticalpartitions therein, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks separatedby said partitions, concentric means supporting said disks, successivelyenlarging and longitudinally stepped ends on said supporting means foradjusting said disks and means carried by said disks for engaging saidpartitions to hold the same in any desired adjusted position.

5. A price indicator comprising a casing, a plurality of verticalpartitions therein, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks separatedby said partitions, concentric means supporting said disks, successivelyenlarging and longitudinally stepped ends on said supporting means foradjusting said disks and longitudinally movable means carried in theface of each of said disks to engage the confronting face of theadjacent partition to hold said ldisks in any desired adjusted position.

6. A price indicator comprising a casing, a plurality of verticalpartitions therein, a horizontal row of axially alinged disks separatedby said partitions, concentric means supporting said disks, successivelyenlarging and longitudinally stepped ends on said supporting means foradjusting said disks and spring urged balls carried by said disks forengaging said partitions to hold the same in any desired adjustedposition.

CHARLES GREATTINGER. [L s.l RICHARD T. COX. EL. s.]

